More Than It Seems
by Codywolf
Summary: Takes place twenty years after Come What May. Everyone has moved on since the fall of Palpatine. Cody has disappeared, but when he reappears, he brings with him an old enemy. Pairings and possible pairings.
1. Preview to the Sequel

So, here we are, another Star Wars Fanfic. I'm gonna ruin it right now and say everyone dies in the end. Sorry, but it's the truth, no lies. Okay, so if you'll go onto the next chapter, we can find out why!

If you really believed that, wow, gullible. If you didn't, good for you, you get a big smiley face!:)

Here's the sequel you've all been waiting for, it's been about three days or so. I was gonna make you wait longer, but I was too excited for this, so here we go!

This takes place twenty years after the end of _Come What May. _Obi-wan had been married, but his wife was killed after a very happy fifteen years when her shuttle was blown up, but he still has a daughter, Erika Kenobi, who is a very successful Jedi General on board the _Mathair Trocare_. Anakin and Padme marry and have two children, as everyone knows, Luke and Leia. Luke becomes the youngest ever Jedi Master while Leia becomes the Jedi Senator. Rex and Ahsoka marry and have two kids, Valin and Trina. Valin is the oldest by two years and is a Jedi Knight. Trina never got a strong enough link with the Force, so she became a very successful doctor.

Of course, everything I write about in some way belongs to George Lucas. I'm not trying to steal anything from him and respect him for his amazing books, which rule my life at the moment.

Please, read and enjoy, advice would be great, I will also take the negatives, too. Comments are free game, go for it, and thanks for all your help!

May the Force be with you all!


	2. Breathe

Darkness pushed in on him, suffocating him, squeezing him into a tight space, threatening to crush him. He couldn't breath, hadn't been able to for years, yet it seemed the darkness was getting worse, pressing harder. He struggled, trying to get away, trying to push through the darkness, but he couldn't find a weakness. He needed to get out, they needed him. They were going to die with out him. He could hear laughing, cold, cruel laughing, mocking him. He struggled harder, begging for one breath of air, that's all he needed, then they could have him, but he needed to warn his friends.

Suddenly, a sliver of light broke through the darkness. Voiced could be heard, distant, yet he could hear someone calling his name. He struggled harder, shoving himself into the sliver, pushing on the darkness, making the light bigger, until it completely blinded him….

"I have a heart beat!" someone yelled nearby. He heard the beeping of machines, the steady hum of a generator, the murmur of voices. He gasped, taking in the clean air. It felt so good, expanding his lungs, filling him with new energy. He forced his eyes open, squinting against the bright light.

"His eyes are open! Easy, sir, you gave us a scare there," a familiar voice said, but he couldn't place it.

"Who..where?" he struggled to talk, his throat dry.

"Easy, kid, ya don't need to go take on any Sep bases anytime soon," another voice joked as his eyes grew accustom to the light. Two men leaned over him, their faces similar, yet so very different. They seemed so familiar….

"Alpha…..Meds?"

"Yeah, kid, which works now, since I'm ten years older than ya now," Alpha laughed, a look of relief on his face.

"How are you feeling, sir?" Meds glared at Alpha.

"Where's Kenobi? I need to help Kenobi!" He pushed himself up, but immediately regretting it as the room spun.

"Easy there, kid. We just got you out of stasis. Give it some time," Alpha caught him before he fell.

"No, Kenobi is in trouble! Palpatine is back!" he tried to focus, but his brain wouldn't work with him.

"Calm down, sir. Palpatine has been dead for years," Meds spoke softly.

"No…he's not….I saw him…he was going after a shuttle…" he struggled to understand what he was saying. All he knew for sure was that his friends were in trouble and they needed his help. Cody shoved Alpha away and stood, using the wall for support as he looked around. "We need to go, now."


	3. More Than A Memory: Part One

Obi-wan sat back in his seat, enjoying the rest as the shuttle traveled through hyperspace. It had been five years since she had moved on and he still had trouble getting over it. He had lost so much in the past couple decades, but he had gained so much. He smiled, thinking of the past couple years, of how his friends had been there with open arms for him and Erika as they struggled with their loss. Now, they were still one big family, except that most of it was spread out across the galaxy.

"So, Obi-wan, what are you doing up here, all alone?" Anakin leaned in the doorway, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I thought you were all still asleep," Obi-wan sat up.

"They still are, but I was a little restless. I have this really weird feeling," Anakin sat down in another chair, frowning.

"I know what you mean, like something foreboding, like some evil is approaching, but every time I try to look further, I'm blocked, sometimes by the darkness, but other times….by something else," with that last part, a little hope entered his voice.

"What do we do?"

"We…"

With a jolt, they were pulled out of hyperspace. They rushed to the front of the bridge, Anakin hopping into the pilot's seat, Obi-wan into the copilot's. Looming before them was a Republic Star Cruiser; at least, that's what it looked like at first glance. It had been modified, the bridge was a different design and it was a dismal grey.

"What is that?!" Anakin started punching buttons.

*^*

"What ever that is, it's got us!" Rex yelled over the com. They had put up the good fight for as long as they could, but the ship had finally gotten the better of them.

"We can't get free!" Anakin jerked at the controls, but they were firmly stuck in the tractor beam.

"Anakin, calm down," Padme rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Helps coming, I'm sure."

"You can say that again!" Obi-wan pointed out the view screen as a ship came out of hyperspace. It was huge, larger than the ship pulling them, almost two times bigger! It was of Republic design and had Republic colors, but its design was just a little different.

Its turboblasters blazed, slicing easily through the mystery ships shields and hitting the tractor beam generators.

"Let's get out of here," Anakin raced out of there, heading straight for their savior as the mystery ship blew up behind them.

"Republic shuttle, this is the Vengeance. May we give you a ride?" a familiar voice came over the speakers.

"Vengeance, this is Riptide, we sure would," Anakin frowned, looking at Obi-wan.

"Generals, it's good to hear your voices."


	4. More Than a Memory: Part Two

Silence filled the cockpit as the small shuttle was pulled into one of many hanger bays situated onboard the massive ship. Each being aboard that shuttle was in a state of shock, the voice still echoing through the now silent ship.

"_It's good to hear your voices, Generals."_

Now, to the average galactic being, that voice would be like the million some beings that had recently entered the galaxy's history. Yet, to the five aboard that ship, it was unique, belonging to a man whom they had believed dead for many years now. His reappearance, if that was what it was, meant that something was not right, and it certainly was not.

The feelings aboard that ship were a mix of confusion, joy, betrayal, bewilderment, fear and a complete sense of the galaxy falling off its rocker. As the shuttle was lowered onto the hanger bay floor, soldiers entered, forming ranks leading to two massive blast doors, which were slowly sliding open. Obi-wan was the first to arouse from his deep thoughts," Come, let's see what's going on."

He stood, pointing to the doors. A man in Jedi robes was walking towards them, his brown, bald head odd among the shining white helmets. The others followed Obi-wan to the ramp as it was lowered. Mace Windu stopped a few feet away, his arms crossed and his feet a shoulder width apart. Obi-wan stopped at the bottom of the ramp, assuming a similar position. They watched each other for a few minutes, the silence ringing clear through the hanger as the others watched tensely.

"What's going on?" Obi-wan's voice was low, his eyes searching Mace's face.

"I could ask you the same thing. I'd love to know what that ship was, but I probably have a better idea than you," Mace nodded, relaxing slightly.

Anakin stepped forward, his arm protectively around Padme," What's going on, Mace?"

Mace looked around," I have a better place that we can discuss the situation at length. "He turned on his heel, glancing over his shoulder as he strode to the doors. The others followed, eyeing the men around them cautiously. It had been many years since an army of this size had been gathered, not since the Clone Wars had ended. This was not a good thing, to say the least.

Mace led them up to the bridge, nodding to the men situated at the different stations. One being caught their eye. The familiar green lined armor of Echo could be seen across the bridge, leaning over the shoulder of another clone to point at something on the screen. Mace continued on, leading them to a conference room. The door slowly slide open and Mace ushered them in.

It was a spacious room, with a large round table in the middle with twelve chairs stationed around it. On the far side of the room was a massive viewport, showing the remnants of the battle that had taken place earlier. The most surprising object in the room stood by the viewport, his arms behind his back, watching as crews scoured what was left of the mystery ship. As they froze just inside the room, he turned slowly, his white armor only broken by orange-gold commander's stripes. A blaster lay on the end of the table closest to him, within reach and he had pistol resting on his hip, yet he didn't reach for either. His arms stayed behind his back as he turned to the people waiting for him. He stood there for a long time, just staring at them, watching as their faces went from shock to surprise to confusion. Mace moved into the room, sitting at one of the chairs, glancing at the being, who nodded. He slowly lifted his armored hands to the sides of his helmet and carefully revealed his face. It was weathered, with a scar cutting through his left eyebrow and over his eye. He looked no more than 25 years old, yet his eyes held wisdom beyond his years. His skin was a very dark tan and his hair was as black as the vacuum of space. His eyes, although a plain brown, were intense, taking in everything.

He set his helmet on the table next to his rifle, crossing his arms, a frown creasing his face," They okay, sir?"

Mace smiled, nodding," Give them a moment, Commander. As I'm hoping Echo explained, or at least Alpha, you were believed dead for sometime."

"We don't have time for this," the man growled, sitting, slightly glaring at the immobile beings before him. "As we speak, he's getting ready to strike. Palpatine won't wait for them to get over their old age."

Anakin stirred, frowning," Who are you calling old!?"

The man smiled slightly," Always worked on you, Skywalker. Things haven't changed much. You and Amidala snuggling up, Rex and Ahsoka hanging out, Kenobi babysitting all of you and Palpatine twiddling his thumbs."

"What do you mean, Palpatine twiddling his thumbs? He's dead!" Obi-wan raised an eyebrow.

"So was I, but I'm right here, breathing in recycled air and all," the man leaned back.

"Cody?" Ahsoka took a cautious step forward.

"Hey, sweetheart, you get extra brownie points for stating the obvious. Sorry I missed the big day, how are the kids?" Cody smiled slightly. Oh, he missed it. He'd love to talk with them, find out what they'd done in his absence, but now wasn't the time. "Look, I'd love to have tea and all, but it seems I've got another mess to clean up. Care to lend a hand?"

Obi-wan sat down," When haven't we?"

"Well, if it is you and not some strange dream that we'll wake up from any moment, sure, why not?" Rex and Ahsoka sat down, followed by Anakin and Padme.

Cody nodded to Mace," I can handle it from here. Alpha should be back soon with whatever they've found."

Mace stood," Good. I'll send word to Echo if it's any good."

As soon as the door slide shut behind Mace, Cody stood, rubbing his legs," So, how's the galaxy?"

"Where were you?" Padme voiced the question they'd all been thinking.

A haunted look entered Cody's eyes as he turned away," Someplace you don't want to ever go to."


	5. Some Place You Never Want To Go

He remained silent for a couple minutes, staring out the viewport. He knew they would need time to get used to this, but they didn't have time. As the stars passed in the lines of hyperspace, Cody sighed and pulled on his helmet. No one aboard the ship, other than a chosen few, knew he was even here. He was dead, buried six feet under somewhere on some remote planet. That was possibly the hardest thing for him right now. His men, his friends, his family all thought he was dead and had admitted to that fact. They weren't expecting him to walk through that door, alive and breathing, but they would just have to deal with it.

He picked up his rifle, resting it comfortably in his arms. He slowly walked over to the door and tapped the keypad. Now or never, he figured.

He ignored the stares as he crossed over to Mace and Alpha. He knew what they were thinking. He caught a whispered conversation in his peripheral and imagined what they were saying.

Idiot one," Who is that?

Idiot two," He looks familiar."

Idiot three, "That's Commander Cody!"

Back to Idiot one, "But he's supposed to be dead!"

Idiot two," Well, looks like they need to rewrite the history books again.

Idiot three," Nah, they just have to kill his for sure this time."

Smart guy hops in," Show some respect. Without this guy, you would've never made it out of your sparti cylinder!"

Mace and Alpha turned to him as he walked up behind them," What have you found?"

"What you told us we'd find. Palpatine is back."

He sighed," I hate when I'm right."

*^*

'Someplace you don't ever want to go.'

It kept going through their heads, his haunted look, the things he'd told them, the lies they had been told by others. This was just too much. It couldn't be happening.

"What do we do?" Obi-wan turned to his friends, his face set.

"I…I'm not sure," Anakin looked down at his hands, for once at a loss of words.

"Maybe we should trust him," Ahsoka mumbled as she leaned against the viewport.

"3 minutes to real space. All squads to battle stations," an automated voice came over the com.

"I'm going," Obi-wan stood. "He's still Cody, he hasn't changed. It's us who've changed. He was always there for me and for all of you. Now it's our turn."

He didn't look back to see if anyone was following him, he didn't care. He knew they would come, they always did. They were a family long before it became official and they had never backed down from a fight.

*^*

Cody watched as the moon slowly grew larger in the viewport.

"That's not a moon," Obi-wan came to stand by him.

"I know, it's just easier to think of it that way then a giant space station that could completely ruin the entire galaxy," Cody shrugged stiffly. He was still a little out of it, his body still getting used to the ability of motion after twenty years of lying in a tank.

"Ever going to tell us?" Obi-wan adjusted his armor, not catching Cody's eye.

"Someday, maybe. I just have to figure that out for myself, first," Cody let the images flashed before his eyes again. "Did it ever happen to you?"

"All the time when I was younger, before I mastered the Force. Still get them sometimes," Obi-wan nodded, as calm as ever.

"Just like old times?"

"Quite like old times."


	6. Palpatine's Revenge

Cody stood in the shadows, far away from everyone, watching as Mace walked up to the dais, bowing to the figures placed on pedestals. He turned back to the crowd, speaking softly, his face torn by grief. Cody strained to hear what he said, but all he heard was a strange echoing. He watched as a padiwan stepped up, handing Mace a torch. Mace nodded to him, then turned back the figures. Their faces came into focus and Cody's heart broke in two. They called out to him, strapped down to the pedestals. The Grand Chamber slowly changed into gray room, machines everywhere. Mace turned into a black-cloaked figure, hunched over by some great weight. The torch turned into a lightsaber and the being turned to him, his figure twisted by hate. He laughed, a cold laugh, filling the entire room with it.

"Thank you, Commander," the figure smiled malevolently, then turned to the first figure, driving the blade into his chest. Then it was Cody driving the blade into the figure's chest, looking down into the pain-twisted face of his victim.

Cody woke with a start, struggling against the restraints that held him to the cold hard table. He looked around, his eyes wide; trying to see the faces of the beings in the shadows, "Let me go! I didn't do it! I didn't help him! I swear!"

The figures didn't move, just stared at him, their eyes burning out of the darkness, accusing him.

He struggled against the restraints, almost sobbing, "I would never kill Kenobi!"

"I know," a calm voice said and Cody's eyes snapped open. He was gasping for air, his eyes wild as he looked around. The white washed walls and beeping monitors were amazingly comforting for him. He lay back, relaxing. It had only been a dream, nothing more. He was safe in the med station on board….

Cody sat up, looking at the people sitting there. Obi-wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex; his friends. He would never hurt them, he kept telling himself, he would never do that.

Obi-wan answered the unspoken question," You're onboard the _Vengeance. _It's been three days since the Battle of Yavin."

Cody nodded, trying to remember. He and Kenobi had been standing on the bridge and then….nothing.

"What happened?" Cody croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.

"You took a hit for Obi-wan. Very stupid, mind you, but you saved everyone,"Ahsoka squeezed his hand. Cody tried to remember. Flashes, images came to mind. They all had entered the throne room on the Death Star, then Rex was being thrown across the room by some kind've lightning. These red guards had appeared, attacking the him and the Jedi. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Cody saw Palpatine raise his hand towards Obi-wan. There was a ripple in the air and Cody threw himself in the way. Something had hit him and he had been sent flying….

Cody looked up, breathing hard, "What was it?"

"Palpatine had ripped aside the barriers you had placed on your mind and used your fears against you. We weren't able to drive the rest of it out until a couple hours ago," Anakin looked as exhausted as he sounded.

"Thank you," Cody whispered, laying his head back, feeling completely spent.

"It should be us thanking you, Cody," Ahsoka whispered, looking at the others, relief in all their eyes.


	7. Twenty Years is a Long Time to Wait

*A couple weeks later*

Cody looks up at the building before him. The huge crystal walls leer down at him, screaming the terror and pain of those held within it. A hand falls on his shoulder, "Now or never, kid."

Cody sighs and turns to Alpha," You sure she's here?"

"Yeah, kid. Been here for a couple years," Alpha sighed.

Cody nodded, starting up the steps, leaning on his cane as old memories flooded forth. Dancing under the moon, her laughter filling the air, ringing clear through the silent hills surrounding them. Sneaking away from their separate lives, getting away from questioning eyes to spend just a few precious hours with her. Hiding his feelings from his friends, because if they knew, he would never be trusted. Silently hating himself every time they faced each other on the battle field. Knowing Kenobi was right when he said that a part of her had not been corrupted by Dooku. She had been the only other person other than Alpha to know the location of his chamber and she was the only one he wanted to see right now.

He slowly walked through the archway, looking like a gaping black hole waiting to swallow unsuspecting victims. He went straight to an open counter, flashing his Republic id at the secretary," I have an appointment."

She nodded, typing his name into her computer. She paled, then looked at him," Would you like some guards with you, sir?"

"No, I'll be fine by myself. I'll just need the code for her room and those forms I requested," Cody said curtly. She handed him a datapad, her hands shaking. He took them, heading for the turbolifts.

Alpha met him at one, holding the door open for him, "You gonna explain yourself?"

"Have I ever explained myself?"

"No," the door slide shut. "So, you're a jedi?"

"Something like that."

"How can you be something like a jedi?"

"As Yoda explained it, I have an awareness of the Force, but not like a Jedi. I can see images in it, but not really use it," Cody shrugged, reading the datapad.

"How so?" Alpha crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

"Well, I can look into the minds of others, but I can't control it or lift objects, like Skywalker or Kenobi. I get to play with a lightsaber, though," he half-smiled.

"I think I'm gonna have a talk with Mace when we're done here, "Alpha laughed.

The turbolift jerked to a halt and the doors slide open. Cody led the way slowly down the hall, stopping at the very last door. He looked down at the datapad, then typed the code into the pad next to the door. It slid open to reveal a poorly lit cell. A being hung in a containment cell in the middle of the room. Cody hit a button and the figure was slowly lowered to the floor, the bracelets encircling her wrists falling off as she kneeled in the middle of the room, a hood covering her face. Cody walked forward, kneeling down next to her, setting his cane aside. He gently lifted the hood off her face, letting her brown hair encircle her face," I always said you should let it grow out."

She looked up into his face, tears in her eyes," I thought I was never going to see you again."

Cody smiled, taking her hand," Let's get out of here." He slipped a wedding band on her finger. "I keep my promise."

"I can leave?"

"Yeah, whenever you're ready."

Asajj Ventress stood, taking Cody's hand, looking down at his cane," Is he gone?"

"Yeah, I had to go help out though. Been twenty years since we last talked."

"A lot's happened in twenty years," she smiled at him.

"How bout we talk over dinner?"

"That sounds just great."

The End.


	8. The EndShort Version

So, that's how it ends, with all the bangs and whistles. Cody loves Ventress, Ventress loves Cody, the galaxy is at peace, happy ending.

Now, I need some help. I need some ideas for a new story. It doesn't have to be Star Wars, just something good.


End file.
